Results of nova simulations show a strong dependence of the white dwarf (WD) mass and mass transfer rate on the observable characteristics – the eruption time and the time between eruptions. Thus, they may be used reversely to determine the WD mass and average mass transfer rate of known systems. Combining these results with Galactic novae databases allows to derive distributions of WD masses and mass transfer rates for classical and recurrent novae, eliminating observational bias. The results of many thousands of consecutive eruptions show how the WD changes on a long-term perspective, e.g., the possibility of the WD to grow and become a SNIa progenitor, the limits on the WD mass and on the mass transfer rate and the consequences of helium flashes on this growth. Including the companion in simulations allows for “live” updating of the binary separation which directly and continually affects the mass transfer rate.

I will present a handful of aspects from short-term and long-term nova simulations, that may contribute to the determination of the properties of known nova systems, predict future eruptions and detect potential progenitors of type Ia SN.